While the Philadelphia Phillies' MLB-best 38-15 record has been fueled by several key players, Ranger Surez might just be the most valuable contributor so far. A critical part of the Phillies' pitching rotation in recent years, Surez had always worked behind Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola, posting a solid 3. 41 ERA and 3. 72 FIP over his first 454 major-league innings. But this year, Surez has taken his performance to another level, positioning himself as one of the best pitchers in the game.

Through his first 10 starts, Surez has delivered a stellar 1. 36 ERA and 2. 55 FIP, ranking second among starting pitchers in both Baseball Reference's and FanGraphs' versions of Wins Above Replacement WAR). His recent outing was one of his best yetallowing just one run in seven innings while tying a career-high with 10 strikeouts against the Texas Rangers.

Surez's 1. 36 ERA ranks as the third-lowest through 10 starts by a Phillies pitcher since the stat began being recorded in the National League in 1912. Even more impressively, hes just the fourth starting pitcher since 1913 to go 9-0 with an ERA below 1. 50 in his first 10 starts of a season. Here's a closer look at how Surez has gotten off to such a historic start and how hes doing it so differently from modern pitchers https://www.philliesplayerfanstore.com/rafael_marchan_jersey-167.

Elite Command
A central talking point about Surezs success this year is his ability to control his pitches despite having relatively average velocity. In a time when pitchers throw with extreme velocity and rely on powerful breaking balls, Surez has thrived with a fastball that averages just 91. 4 mph. So, how is he doing it? By mastering the art of pitch command better than almost any other pitcher in the league.

Surez has made significant strides in both reducing his walk rate and increasing his strikeouts. His strikeout rate has jumped 5. 6 percent this season, and hes shaved 4 percent off his walk rate. While his 13. 1 percent strikeout-minus-walk rate was below the league average last year, hes now at an impressive 22. 8 percent, trailing only 10 qualified starters.

His career-best 33. 2 percent chase rate and a first-pitch strike rate of 65 percent demonstrate his pinpoint control. When examining heat maps of Surezs pitch locations, its clear that his ability to control the ball across all areas of the strike zone has made him virtually untouchable. Opponents are managing just a. 485 OPS against Surez, the lowest mark among all qualified starters.

Surez's approach differs based on the batters handedness. Against left-handed hitters, he leans heavily on his sinker and changeup, throwing them 80. 8 percent of the time. By keeping the sinker in the zone and dropping changeups just below, hes allowed just seven hits in 54 plate appearances against lefties https://www.philliesplayerfanstore.com/robin_roberts_jersey-30. Against righties, he mixes five pitches, including sinkers and changeups away, four-seam fastballs and cutters inside, and curveballs low in the zone, keeping them off-balance and making life difficult for hitters.

A Tough Pitcher to Square Up
Surez has been nearly impossible for hitters to square up this season. His expected ERA of 2. 30ranking second in the league behind Garrett Crochetillustrates his excellence in limiting both the quantity and quality of contact against him. Hes near the top of the charts in several key metrics that measure contact quality, including second in average exit velocity, tied for second in hard-hit rate, third in expected slugging percentage, fifth in barrel rate, and ninth in expected batting average.

A large part of this success can be attributed to Surezs superb command, but it goes beyond that. Even though hes throwing the slowest fastball of his career, hes generating significantly more movement on his most important pitches, which results in weak contact from hitters. Surezs sinker, for example, has lost some velocity compared to last year, but it now drops an additional 2. 4 inches vertically, making it harder for hitters to make solid contact.

Among pitchers who have thrown at least 100 sinkers this year, only a handful have managed to generate more drop on their pitches at similar velocities. This added movement, combined with his command, is why Surez has become one of the most effective starters in the game.

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